compensate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to recompense for something.
They gave him ten dollars to compensate him for his trouble.
- Synonyms:
- pay, reward, remunerate
-
to counterbalance; offset; be equivalent to.
He compensated his homely appearance with great personal charm.
- Synonyms:
- countervail, counterpoise
-
Mechanics. to counterbalance (a force or the like); adjust or construct so as to offset or counterbalance variations or produce equilibrium.
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to change the gold content of (a monetary unit) to counterbalance price fluctuations and thereby stabilize its purchasing power.
verb (used without object)
-
to provide or be an equivalent; make up; make amends (usually followed byfor ).
His occasional courtesies did not compensate for his general rudeness.
- Synonyms:
- atone
-
Psychology. to develop or employ mechanisms of compensation.
verb
-
to make amends to (someone), esp for loss or injury
-
(tr) to serve as compensation or damages for (injury, loss, etc)
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to offset or counterbalance the effects of (a force, weight, movement, etc) so as to nullify the effects of an undesirable influence and produce equilibrium
-
(intr) to attempt to conceal or offset one's shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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compensatornoun
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precompensateverb (used with object)
-
recompensateverb (used with object)
-
subcompensateverb (used with object)
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compensatoryadjective
-
noncompensatedadjective
-
noncompensatingadjective
-
uncompensatedadjective
-
uncompensatingadjective
-
well-compensatedadjective
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compensatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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compensatesimple
-
compensatessimple
-
have compensatedperfect
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has compensatedperfect
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am compensatingprogressive
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are compensatingprogressive
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is compensatingprogressive
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have been compensatingperfect progressive
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has been compensatingperfect progressive
Past
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compensatedsimple
-
had compensatedperfect
-
was compensatingprogressive
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were compensatingprogressive
-
had been compensatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compensate
First recorded in 1640–50, compensate is from the Latin word compēnsātus (past participle of compēnsāre to counterbalance, originally, to weigh together). See com-, pensive, -ate 1
Explanation
Compensate is about correcting for an imbalance. If you step in an unmarked pothole, the city may compensate you by paying your doctor bills treating a broken ankle. Compensate can also mean "to adjust for." So, if you did stumble into the pothole and injure your left leg, then you might compensate by leaning heavily on your right leg. Increasingly, compensate is used in place of pay. Day laborers are paid for their time, but executives are more likely to be compensated with a suite that includes salary and other benefits––what is commonly referred to as a compensation package.
Vocabulary lists containing compensate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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The Crucible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The researchers next investigated whether increasing BiP could compensate for the absence of p58IPK.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Seattleites compensate for months of rain and darkness by spending as much time outside as possible.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
While a number of suppliers have agreed to compensate those affected, the CMA says it is considering legal action against those who have so far refused.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Another reason to own energy stocks may be to help compensate you for global roasting.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
It began with a number of students, mainly boys, muttering that we should get tokens to compensate when Madame took something away.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Madueke goes into central midfield and Bellingham compensates by defending out wide.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
His payment of $74,330 will go into the Lacey Act Reward Fund, which compensates tipsters who report wildlife crimes, federal authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
But when they are stiff, the lower back often compensates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
In other words, when incoming visual signals are reduced, the brain compensates by pulling stored images and experiences from memory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2026
Likewise, insurance policies with broad coverage which compensates for any mishap are apt to be cheaper in the long run than insurance for a particular disease or a particular trip.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
“Uncertainties are piling up,” he noted, and the bond market expects to get compensated for it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
Costco staffers are compensated far above the retail industry average, and the company’s CEO, Ron Vachris, started on the warehouse floor as a forklift operator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Converting a block to commonhold means transferring ownership from the freeholder to the residents, and how existing freeholders should be compensated is disputed.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
She never finished high school, but compensated for her incomplete education by devouring books and absorbing ideas.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
Like you, I long for freedom and fresh air, but I think we’ve been amply compensated for their loss.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
A monetary framework that lets falling production costs show up as lower prices for consumers, rather than offsetting them with compensating stimulus, has intellectual support and is worth discussing.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
Yet there are more than enough compensating pleasures.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
The method gives the rescuer stability and a better position for good quality CPR by allowing the arms to be bent and compensating for reduced body weight in low gravity.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
“Targeted government policies can help smooth the shock by reducing energy demand and compensating lower-income households,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
FitzRoy’s volumes did not get as positive a reception as Charles’s, so the publisher released Darwin’s volume as a separate book without telling him or compensating him financially.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
